The Circle of Heirs
by X-NYC-Babe-X
Summary: Sirius Black's alive, James had a cousin who happened to be Lily's best friend, a famous auror who had been missing has returned to teach DADA, and Harry learns the secret his family has tried to conceal for generations. And Voldemort's worst fear is not
1. The Song of Eternity

CHAPTER ONE- The Song of Eternity  
  
Harry Potter stepped into the hall of the Fourth Floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. With a rapid step he approached a door at the end of the corridor where, after stepping inside, he took a deep breath and headed directly towards the bed occupied by a pale man with long, shaggy hair.  
It had been two months since Sirius Black had been cursed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Two months since Harry's heart had shattered as he watched his godfather stumble backwards into the Veil and not come out. Two months since Voldemort had been imprisoned in the snake. Two months since Harry had learned the truth about himself. And two months since Lupin had staggered through the doorway, holding a barely-alive Sirius who, Dumbledore had explained, had not been quite dead when he had fallen, and so had been rejected by the Veil. Harry had never felt so grateful for the dementors' stripping wizards of their powers as he had in the moment he was told Bellatrix had not recharged enough magic to kill someone- especially since that someone was Sirius.  
Sirius was still unconscious; the Healers could not figure out what the Veil did to him. [I]That's why it's in the Department of Mysteries[/I], Harry mused to himself as he sat in a chair next to Sirius's bed. Looking around at the get-well cards that littered the bed-stand and decorated the walls, Harry caught sight of a brown paper package slipped under a gag-gift from Fred and George. Harry carefully removed it and saw it simply read: To 'Sirius Black'. There was no card or return address. Instantly Harry thought of Broderick and the Devil's Snare that had been sent as a "Christmas present."  
"Harry," Mrs. Weasley called as she bustled in. "Alastor is here to take you back-"  
"Look," Harry interrupted, showing her the package. Mrs. Weasley frowned at his manners before her frown turned to one of concentration.  
"It could be dangerous- Heaven knows those Death Eaters and their families aren't happy Sirius survived. But..." she hesitated, then strode back to the door and called, "Everyone? A moment, please."  
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Remus Lupin filed in. "Alastor, is it dangerous?" Mrs. Weasley continued, motioning to the box.  
Moody scanned the package, then growled, "No. It looks like a music box, but there's nothing harmful about it."  
Lupin gazed at the brown paper. "That writing," he said slowly. "It's so..."  
"Familiar," Mr. Weasley finished. He, his wife, and Lupin looked at each other. "Only one way to see what this is about," Mr. Weasley continued, ripping the paper away.  
A beautiful glass box, the size of a hand, was revealed. A Celtic eternity knot was etched into the lid and framed by gold lining. Mr. Weasley opened the top, and a sweet, calling melody played. They stared at it, transfixed. Suddenly, Sirius stirred. All eyes turned to him; everyone was holding their breaths. His dark eyes opened... closed... then opened again. Hermione let out a cry, and Harry and Lupin rushed to help Sirius sit up. "Get the Healer!" Lupin barked unnecessarily- a Healer was already at the bedside.  
"Rest him against the pillows- easy does it," the Healer ordered. "And what is that sound?"  
Ron pointed to the music box. "He woke up once we started playing that," he offered. The Healer studied it closely.  
"Doesn't look unusual. It may be a song that held special significance to Mr. Black." The Healer replaced the box and proceeded to shoo them out. "Go now! We need to run tests to see if he's completely or only partially healed. Now go!" The door shut behind them and the Members and unofficial-Members or the Order of the Phoenix turned to each other.  
"It couldn't hold special significance because Sirius never told me about it," Lupin said after a moment of silence. "I think we should get Dumbledore- this magic is unknown to us."  
"I agree," Moody rumbled. "I'll send an owl pronto." He disappeared down the corridor, Hermione following him with her eyes. Then, once the adults had converged into a group and Fred, George, and Ginny began to banter, she motioned Ron and Harry away from the group.  
"Whaddo you think?" Ron muttered. Harry shook his head.  
"It's all too fast- one minute I'm saying good-bye before school starts, the next, Sirius is awake and sitting up. It's too strange."  
"It's really old magic," Hermione broke in. Ron and Harry looked at her, confused. She sighed and elaborated. "It's a song of eternity, meant to bring people back form wherever they're lost. It's supposed to be a myth- no song's ever been able to so that."  
"But this one did," Harry said, catching on. "Sirius was lost in his mind and the music box brought him back."  
"The song, yes," Hermione confirmed. "Traditionally it was sung, but if the person who knew it wanted to remain unknown, they'd send it in a music box that looked like that one."  
"But who'd want to remain a secret after saving someone's life?" Ron asked. "Mom, Dad, and Lupin recognized the handwriting, but if it was an acquantence, why would they want to remain a secret?"  
"Well, if Lupin recognized the handwriting, Sirius should, too," Hermione said briskly. "And he'll have a much better idea of who'd want to help him. We can ask once we're-"  
"You're allowed in," the Healer's voice rang out. He seemed quite puzzled. "Mr. Black is fully healed. A little tired, but you should be able to bring him home today." As he walked by them, Harry heard the man mutter, "Escaped convicts no longer convicts, You-know-who back and then gone, music boxes healing people... it's enough to make a man want to turn Muggle!"  
Grinning, Harry ran to Sirius's door. Lupin nodded to him, saying, "Let's let Harry in first." Everyone agreed, and Harry once more entered the room.  
Sirius was sitting up in bed, looking as pale and wasted as ever, but there was a spark in him that Harry had rarely seen. It was the spark of freedom. Sirius looked up at him and grinned a grin that matched Harry's. The glimmer of long-forgotten handsomeness returned to his face as he held out and arm and Harry grabbed him in a rough hug. "Hello, Harry," Sirius laughed. "I'm glad to see you missed me."  
"How are you?" Harry asked as he pulled away. Sirius shrugged.  
"Alive. Confused, but alive." At Harry's questioning look he held up the music box.  
"Ah." Harry shrugged too as everyone else gave Sirius hugs and handshakes. "We're not sure about that."  
"The Healer said this is what brought me back," Sirius replied. Lupin reached under his coat and removed the wrapping that no one had seen him take.  
"It came in this," he said, handing it to Sirius. "We're hoping you can recognize the writing."  
A strange look crossed Sirius's face; a look Harry couldn't explain or interpret. "it looks... it looks like Torri's writing," he whispered.  
Silence fell on the room as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Lupin paled in shock. Mrs. Weasley spoke first. "That's not possible." Sirius glanced at the writing again, but Lupin's voice called him back.  
"Sirius, Torri's gone. You have to accept that she's dead."  
Sirius remained quiet for a moment before asking, "Any more presents?" in a forced cheerful voice. The subject was clearly closed.  
  
It was eleven at night by the time they returned to headquarters. The students trooped up to bed, leaving Sirius to admire the refurbished parlor. As soon as they got upstairs, however, Hermione and Harry followed Ron into his room.  
"What the bloody heck was that about?" Ron burst. "Who's Torri?"  
"Who knows," Harry responded wearily. "Not a family member or someone from the original order- I know all their names and that's not one of them."  
Hermione's disgusted tut broke in. "Didn't you see Sirius's expression when he talked about her?" At the guys' clueless looks she sighed, as if suffering. "You dolts. He was- and probably still is- in love with her!" She breezed out the door with a perky "Goodnight!" leaving the guys staring at the place she'd stood.  
"In love?" Ron gasped.  
"Sirius?" Harry whispered.  
"She's nuts," they both agreed. Thus comforted by Hermione's insanity, Harry left for bed, and neither noticed the silvery-green smoke follow him out in the form of a tiny snake. 


	2. If u already kno I don't own HP, u can s...

Whoops! Forgot the disclaimer!!! ( FYI- I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be in England viewing the next movie, and not here wishing I were there. J.K. Rawlings owns everything! She owns the characters! Well, I own two, but I can't tell you about them cuz that would just give it all away. ( Enjoy and review, please. Ciao! Me ;) 


	3. Dreams of the Past

Disclaimer: Once again, don't own it, never have, never will!  
  
Orlis-Diamond: Yey! You reviewed! lol The answer to your question is addressed in this chapter.

Silverbolt91- Thank you so much for your review! Yey! My first one! lol I'm glad you like it!  
  
Harry tossed and turned all night. Images flew through his mind- the music box, the look on Sirius's face, the handwriting- and mixed into the strangest dream.

He was running through some woods- no, wait. He squinted to see better. He was flying through the woods, and beneath him ran a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old. She stopped in front of a large tree, gasping for breath, and Harry found himself stopping above her. The girl's head jerked around at the sound of angry voices and snapping branches, coming from the direction she had just left. Her eyes widened, and Harry could see they were a deep blue. He frowned: he had the distinct feeling he'd met her before; her posture, eyes, and curly brown hair tugged at a corner of his mind that he couldn't access.

More snapping came, but this time from behind the tree. A handsome stag pranced out and nuzzled her shoulder. She sighed in relief. "It's about time," she quipped, mounting the animal. The stag tossed its head in what Harry could only describe as indignation, and cantered off into the darkness.

The scene changed to the Gryffindor common room. The fire had burnt low, so only the embers glowed. A blonde lay asleep on one of the couches, but she shot upright at the sound of the painting opening. The brunette from the woods entered, accompanied by none other than Lily Evans.

"Do you know what time it is?" the blonde hissed. Closer examination revealed her to be Alice Longbottom, at age sixteen. Harry could barely hear his mother's reply.

"No, Al, we don't. But I'm pretty sure if we wait around we'll see the Marauders return from their monthly strolls."

Alice frowned in consternation. "You ran into them?"

The brunette headed up the tower stairs. "No, and I don't think we should rectify that. James will throw a fit if he finds out, and we're all too tired to hold our own against him."

Lily glanced over at Alice. "She's right," the red-head said. "Potter doesn't need to know about every Death Eater encounter. Besides, worrying him now will just make his hair turn grey, and we can't have that, now can we?"

Alice opened her mouth to protest, but muffled laughter reached their ears and she and Lily flew up the stairs as the painting swung ajar again.

Another scene change to an unknown room, and Harry was watching the brunette and his father face off in a heated argument. James was yelling, "Our primary focus must be keeping the world from being dominated!"

The brunette, who had been facing the window, whirled; her face pale with fury and the desperation that came with a deadly secret. "You still don't get it, do you?" she demanded, her voice louder than James's had been. "He's not after world domination! He never has been! He's after me! This whole war has been about me!" She rounded on James even harder. "Jolene, the Bones, Eric- it's all been because of me!" Tears rained down her face, but the blue eyes were set.

All the anger melted away from James as he reached towards her and pulled her into a protective embrace. She wept softly as he murmured to her, rocking her gently.

Harry felt himself be pulled away from the dream, but he wanted to stay, to know what was happening. Who was "he," and where had Harry seen that girl before? Ron's voice was waking him up, and he had no choice but to comply.

Sitting up in bed, he heard Ron say "Breakfast in five minutes!" the door shut and the room was silent again. Groaning, he put on his glasses and sat for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. Then an idea hit him. "The album!" he exclaimed allowed, jumping out of bed and scrambling to retrieve his photo album of his parents. Flipping through page after page, he finally saw it: the picture of his parents' wedding that had Sirius laughing at the camera. And there, Harry's godfather's arm around her waist, was the brunette from the dreams.

She was smiling happily, dressed in a lavender gown that marked her as one of Lily's bridesmaids. Harry had never been to a wedding, but he knew enough to tell that she was the maid-of-honor, due to her position near the bride and groom. Harry gazed at the photo, more confused than ever. Why was she the maid-of-honor? Why was Sirius's arm around her waist? And who was she?

Closing the book with his finger to mark the page, Harry dashed downstairs towards the clatter coming from the dining room. Sirius's laughter could be heard, and Harry headed to him, dropping the book open before the last of the Blacks. "Who is she?" Harry demanded.

Silence fell over the room as everyone strained to see what was being shown. Sirius froze, his eyes locked on the brunette. "Where did you get this?" His voice was more hoarse than usual. Remus jumped in.

"That's the gift Hagrid gave you your first year, isn't it?" At Harry's puzzled look, he explained, "I sent him that picture."

Sirius nodded; he seemed to have lost the ability to talk. Harry watched him carefully. "Sirius? Who was she?"

"Why?"

Harry blinked. His godfather had always answered his questions, even if the answer was vague. Never had he responded so curtly. "I had... some really strange dreams last night. And she was in all of them."

Remus sat forward intently. "Do you remember what the dreams were of?"

He did, and he recited them like a child reciting a lesson. When he was finished, Remus turned to Sirius. "Memories," Remus whispered. They seemed to have forgotten about the rest of the rooms occupants as Sirius replied,

"Impossible."

"Theoretically, no. If the bond was strong enough..."

"There was no bond. An occasional 'She needs help' or 'He's in trouble,' but that's it."

"Godparents." Remus was not going give in.

Neither was Sirius. "I don't have it."

"She was always different from everyone else."

"I'm quite aware of that, Moody. That's why I was first attracted to her."

Ron leaned towards Harry and muttered, "Are you following this?" Before Harry could respond, Remus was speaking.

"She knew about that night."

"Again, impossible. She was in Italy, and she didn't return."

"Joey told me."

"Joey wouldn't have known- there was no contact between any of us. Dumbledore's orders, remember?"

"They never followed those orders, Padfoot. It would have been like us actually being obedient in school. They didn't hold with some of the Order's ideas."

"The Ministry released a record of all floo-branch uses between the time she went to Italy and that night." Sirius's voice shook slightly, but held its control.

"We didn't use floo powder in school; they had other ways to communicate, too."

"What's the purpose of this dialogue?" Harry hissed at Hermione who had come to stand behind Ron and him.

"Sirius doesn't believe someone knew about a certain night, and Lupin is trying to prove that they did," she hissed back.

"Ohhh," Harry and Ron chorused. They returned their attention to what was transpiring before them.

"So she knew. What does that prove?" Sirius challenged.

"The bond! She could be trying to tell him something!"

"They're talking about you now," Hermione informed Harry.

Harry interjected into the debate, "Who's trying to tell me something?"

Sirius stood up suddenly. "No one. Just a forgotten friend."

"One forgotten by you, or one who forgot?" Remus spoke softly.

Sirius's face twitched, and then froze. "It doesn't matter. She's dead now, right? It's time I forgot, too."

"She didn't forget, Sirius!" Everyone started at Mrs. Weasley's emphatic outburst.

"Then where was she?!" he yelled. "She wasn't there- at the house or Azkaban! Say what you want, I'm tired of making excuses for that family! James, Torri- they always had reasons! Always had lies! And I'm tired of it!" He stormed out of the room, leaving everyone in shock.

Ron piped up, "So, a dead girl is talking to Harry?" Hermione whacked him upside the head. "Hey!" Ron yelped.

Ignoring them, Harry focused on Remus. "What was that all about?" he questioned.

Remus sighed. "Let's go into the living room. It's more comfortable there."

"We don't have time, Remus," Mrs. Weasley spoke again. "The train to Hogwarts will be leaving in thirty minutes!"

Harry looked to Remus pleadingly. Remus rubbed his forehead, thought, and then said, "Okay. Alastor, Molly, and Arthur will get all you students to the train. I'll stay here and write a letter explaining everything, so you'll get it first thing tomorrow morning."

Before Harry could protest, Mrs. Weasley had taken over and herded everyone upstairs to fetch their things, downstairs to the car, and off to the station. As they were pulling out of the drive Harry realized he still hadn't said good-bye to Sirius. And once again no one noticed the green snake of smoke as it disappeared from around Harry's ankle.  
  
Sirius watched them drive away. As the car turned the corner, a memory suddenly hit him:

Torri had been curled up on the couch, trying to catch a few more minutes of rest before the Ministry came to whisk her off to Italy for another two weeks of auror work. Sirius and she had been talking when she drifted off to sleep. Smiling at her peaceful form, he left the room to finish waxing his motorcycle. Time seemed to fly by before he realized he had been working for two hours. He ran back to the living room, but Torri was gone: when the Ministry came, she was never allowed any time for good-byes. And three days later, Sirius was thrown in Azkaban for the murder of 13 people.  
  
The flashback ended, and Sirius grabbed his wand. He had never gotten to say good-bye to Torri, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake with Harry. There was a 'crack!' and he aparated away to the train station, where he transformed into the big black dog and dashed to Platform 9 ¾.

The train was about to leave, but he barked loudly and Harry's face poked out of one of the windows. "Snuffles!" the teenager yelled. Sirius ran along the train as it started up, still barking. "Bye!" Harry called. Sirius slowed down, content that he had been understood. Mr. Weasley came up to him.

"Come on, Snuffles. Let's go home."  
  
Unknown again, the snake uncurled itself from around Sirius's paw and disappeared, only to reappear in one of the compartments on the train. A brunette with curly hair and blue eyes smiled at it. "Return!" she ordered, and the snake was transported to Harry's side again.


End file.
